


Try Again, Kid

by thecarrotofshuutoku (merthur_at_221b)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Trans Iwaizumi, Trans Kageyama, awkward gay noodles, coffeeshop dates, trans male character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merthur_at_221b/pseuds/thecarrotofshuutoku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kageyama had confessed in middle school, Iwaizumi brushed it off and delayed the inevitable with, "Try again when you're taller than me." </p>
<p>About three years later, that time has come. Time to own up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Try Again, Kid

“Try again when you’re taller than me, kid,” Iwaizumi said, ruffling Kageyama’s hair. 

 

Kageyama tried not to show how crushed he was. He had just confessed to the boy of his dreams, and getting brushed off like that… he was expecting a no, he could handle that, but this ambiguity….

 

Wait. 

 

He didn’t say no? 

 

...Had he a chance?

 

Kageyama took a second to collect himself before straightening up from his deep bow. “Yes!” He replied, voice strong. 

 

Iwaizumi looked taken aback by the sudden change in posture, from crushed child to confident and determined, His expression melted into something warmer, before waving goodbye and walking away. 

 

Kageyama could still manage to hear him murmur, “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

\----------------

 

A practice match with Aoba Johsai. With not only Kindaichi, Kunimi, and all of his teammates that he had hurt, but also Oikawa, the man who had shown him how to be great. 

 

Kageyama could handle them, though. All of their grievances can and should be settled on the court. It was Iwaizumi that he was worried about, 

 

Not that he’d been keeping track or anything, but the Iwaizumi that he had finally, blessedly, vertically surpassed. 

 

It was kind of pathetic, he supposed, to still be absolutely adoring of a man who was not only now one of his biggest rivals, someone whom he hadn’t seen face-to-face in years. At least, they had kept up texting for the gap of time. Iwaizumi was a pillar of comfort through the roughest patch of time at Kitagawa, offering advice and motivation. He was also very happy for him when he had talked about the sort of family he had made with Karasuno. 

 

(They had an unspoken to never talk about what practices were, except in generals or non-play related things. Oikawa showing up in shorts that said ARE YOU NASTY? on the ass because his sister loves to mess with him was fair game, but talking about how Yamaguchi was working on a jump-float serve was not. It was just common courtesy, but it was still nice to know that they could, in fact, have conversations about things not entirely volleyball, that they actually had things in common.)

 

“Ah! Iwaizumi-san! It’s good to see you again!” Kageyama greeted, The man he called out to turned around from the water fountain, a smile breaking his expressionless face. 

 

“Kageyama! It’s good to see you too.” He lifted his hand to ruffle the hair of the setter, surprised at the lengths he has to go to. 

 

“Damn, I wasn’t expecting you to surpass me so suddenly. You must be taller than me by now,” Iwaizumi chuckled, rubbing his arm. There was only the barest trace of tension, but Iwaizumi was never good with small talk in the first place. Commenting on his height? Okay, cool. 

 

Somehow, that had managed to bring forth a small smile from the other boy’s lips. “Doesn’t that bring back memories from graduation?” He reminisced, a small blush encroaching on his neck. 

 

Iwaizumi was dumbfounded. What even…?

 

Kageyama seemed to be brought abruptly back to the present. “Ah, I guess I shouldn’t have brought that backup. Is there any reason to assume you would still have your offer on the table?” Kageyama’s voice had been tightening up with every word, and by the end of his question, his was very clearly straining himself. 

 

Iwaizumi felt awful for not remembering, and he didn’t think Kageyama would take well to having to explain himself.

 

He was about to admit to a lapse in memory before he saw Kageyama' face: totally flushed, his eyes moving everywhere, very clearly Not making eye contact.  It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it….

 

Oh.

 

Shit.

 

It had all come rushing back to him, the comment he threw out haphazardly, desperate to diffuse the awkward situation. And now, his choice was back to haunt him. 

 

Kageyama deserved an honest answer, not to be lead on. But shit, after all this time? He still harbored feelings for him? That was too damn good to be true. 

 

He had planned on being gentle and firm, but the words that had exited his mouth were, “Let’s talk after the match?”

 

Kageyama let out a breath he had been holding. An angelic calm came over him. “Yes!”

 

A fiercer, far more determined look took over the other so quickly, Iwaizumi almost doubted the peace was there in the first place. “And, for the reason I came over here,” He smirked, settling back confidently. “We won’t be losing today.”

 

Iwaizumi felt himself getting excited. “Don’t get too cocky, kid.”

 

And then they smiled at each other.

 

\-------

 

The match had ended, ending with a third set ultimately in Seijou’s favor. Everyone had changed into their street clothes, and Karasuno was loading onto the bus. 

 

Except Kageyama. 

 

He had lingered by the door, waiting for a chance to catch Suga or Daichi and explain the situation to them. He had been kicking his feet in the dirt, trying to think of a reasonable excuse that wouldn’t end up in disaster. 

 

Suga had finally gotten almost everything onto the bus. he stepped outside, scanning the ground to make sure that they hadn’t left anything, before arriving on the tall boy in front of him. 

 

“Ah, Kageyama-kun. Is there an issue?” Suga inquired, leaning against the doorframe. Daichi was still talking formalities with Oikawa, so they had a few minutes still. 

 

He looked somehow lost and determined at the same time. 

 

“I, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to…” He trailed off, not making eye contact. Suga was starting to seriously worry. Did he get hurt? 

 

Iwaizumi walked up behind Kageyama and clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

 

(Kageyama pretended not to flinch. Suga completely understood- he had that issue with Asahi a lot. It seemed to come as a prerequisite for the title of ‘ace.’) 

 

“Kageyama was going to talk with me for a little bit instead of going home on the bus. I’m going to pay for his cab ride home, and he’s going to call his mom right now.” Iwaizumi stated coolly, even though his stance and expression was pleasant and friendly. With a pointed look from Iwaizumi, Kageyama had nodded profusely before stepping away to fulfill the command. 

 

Suga raised his eyebrow. “Talk?”

Iwaizumi felt like he was under deep scrutiny. “Just some unfinished business from middle school.” His eyes had been roaming, but they had caught the horrified look on Sugawara’s face. 

 

“Nothing bad! Give me some credit.” Iwaizumi objected, rubbing the back of his neck. He lowered his voice marginally. “I’m not Oikawa. I never had any sort of animosity towards him, and as far as I know, I’ve never hurt his feelings. I’m not planning on starting now. You don’t need to give me the protective crow parent speech.” 

 

Suga’s face had been gradually lightening with each word until he finally cracked a grin at the final part. “Well, I am basically these kids mom. You can’t blame me.” 

 

Iwaizumi chuckled. “Does that make Sawamura-san the dad?” He asked slyly, pressing his lips together to avoid smiling. 

 

Suga’s face went bright red. “Oh, I don’t need this from you, too.”

 

Speak of the devil. Daichi walked over and took the place next to Suga. “Iwaizumi-san,” he said, straightening his spine in order to tower over him as an intimidation tactic. Iwaizumi could’ve snorted- nice try. “Do I want to know how you’ve been harassing my vice-captain?”

 

Iwaizumi’s eyes slid over to Suga, who had regained his composure.”Definitely the dad.” He refocused back on Daichi. “I’m going to look after Kageyama and he won’t be riding the bus back.”

 

Before he could begin to protest, Kageyama had rejoined the circle. “My mom said it was fine, and she called Coach and Takeda-sensei to clear it with them.” 

 

Daichi was slightly mystified, but accepted the predicament nonetheless. “Alright, but call us when you get home, okay?” He said, cinching his mouth to the side. 

 

Kageyama gave a small bow. “Yes!”

 

Iwaizumi led Kageyama away from the bus and down the street. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve already told Oikawa and them that I’m going somewhere- they’re not gonna follow us.”

 

Kageyama looked relieved. It was nice that Iwaizumi was so forward-thinking and covered all the bases. He was so dependable. 

 

Iwaizumi sipped his coffee, leaning back in his chair. “Since you’re in high school, you can up your T dosage, right? How’s that been?”

 

Kageyama’s spine went stock still, and he whipped his head around. 

 

Iwaizumi grabbed his arm gently, and leaned closer to him to whisper the words, “Relax, this place is pretty inclusive, and you don’t know anyone here.” He subtly pointed out the two girls in a corner of the shop, giggling and holding hands, and that they were getting no special attention. Kageyama began to slowly relax. “We can drop it until later if you want to, though. No pressure. Sorry for bringing it up out of nowhere.” 

Kageyama leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, breathing slowly and deliberately through his mouth. After a few seconds, he reopened his eyes. 

 

“No, it’s fine. It was just kind of a knee-jerk reaction, I guess.” Kageyama responded. 

 

Iwaizumi squeezed his arm comfortingly before breaking contact. (Why did his hands suddenly feel so cold?) 

 

Kageyama smiled gratefully, before answering the question. “It’s been a lot better. I can see the results a lot clearer, now.”

 

Iwaizumi gave him a goofy grin. “That’s great!”

 

Kageyama continued, “And… and we’re working on scheduling a reduction surgery when it won’t interfere with volleyball, and I, uh… finally got a,” his voice lowered considerably, “A packer.” 

 

Iwaizumi’s jaw dropped. It had taken him until the middle of his second year to work up the courage to ask for one. “Seriously? That’s amazing, you’re super brave.” 

 

Kageyama had flushed under the praise. It took him a few spluttered consonants before he could utter coherent syllables. “Thank you, Iwaizumi-san.”

 

Now it was the older’s turn to flush. “Yeah, well, anyway…” He coughed, trying to deflect the attention off of him. “How has the team been?”

 

“Everyone’s  been really supportive. There was one person I worried about,  but his older brother is trans, too, so he knew a lot of stuff. He helped me ask my parents for some of what I needed.” 

 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but feel a small pang of jealousy for not being the one to help him, but it was quickly overcome by his happiness for Kageyama. 

 

“I’m really glad you’re in such a supportive environment, Kageyama,” He said with earnest. 

 

Kageyama gave a small smile. “How about you, Iwaizumi-san?” 

 

He contemplated his response for a second, before beginning, “It’s been pretty alright. The new first years have been pretty chill, although I think that’s somewhat thanks to you.”

 

Kageyama cocked his head sideways. ”Huh?”

“Well, you came out to some of the team in Kitagawa, right? That saved a lot of explaining on my end,” Iwaizumi elaborated, taking a sip of his coffee. 

 

Kageyama nodded, biting into his snack. 

 

After Iwaizumi had finished the last dregs of his coffee, he looked at Kageyama with a more piercing gaze, emitting an entirely different aura than before. 

 

“And, now to the biggest reason I invited you out. I honestly can’t  believe that you had remembered what I said, from graduation.”

 

Kageyama coughed, his neck blotching red, “I was being serious then, even though it was far-fetched. There’s no way I would forget that I had a chance.” He got a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Besides, weren’t you the one who said that you couldn’t wait?”

 

Iwaizumi’s response was to instantaneously turn pink. “I didn’t think you would hear that part!”

 

Kageyama chuckled gently. This banter was unfamiliar, but it felt natural and comforting. Authentic. 

 

A comfortable silence had settled between them in the aftermath of their mirth.

 

Iwaizumi broke it first. “Are you being serious, though? Do you actually still like me?”

 

Kageyama’s eyes widened. “What sort of question is that? Would I ask if I didn’t?”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “I expected as much, dumbass, but think about it. Do you want to date me, or do you just want to be closer?” Iwaizumi’s ears heated up at the words. It felt so overconfident and shitty to speak like this, but he had to do it. This conversation had to happen so neither of them started out half-heartedly. 

  
  


Kageyama seemed to sit back and really think about his words. Kageyama’s face had gradually started to become more tightened and contorted until Iwaizumi had felt a moral obligation to put an end to the boy’s suffering. 

 

“Oi, calm down. You’re gonna hurt yourself,” Iwaizumi soothed, waving his hand in front of the other’s face. 

 

Kageyama let out a sigh. “I don’t know,” He said simply. “But it’s worth a try, right?”

 

Iwaizumi didn’t feel totally satisfied with the answer but wasn’t going to argue. “I think it’s worth it, too.”

Kageyama smiled, then slid closer to him in the booth, before settling his arm in the shrinking space between them. 

 

Giving him the option to take the opportunity, but no pressure. How considerate. 

 

Iwaizumi grabbed the calloused and rough hand, threading their fingers together. He was surprised by the warmth radiating out from them. 

 

Both of them had twin blushes. 

 

(These boys were turning into tomatoes, blushing every other minute. What strong circulatory systems they must have, to support that kind of increased blood flow.)

 

“I-is this okay?” Iwaizumi grunted out, not making eye contact with Kageyama. 

 

The other boy nodded profusely, also not making eye contact. 

 

Iwaizumi coughed, trying to return to a more normal conversation. “So, uh, when we’re done here, do you want to go back to my house or do you want to go back home? No pressure either way.”

 

Kageyama didn’t even hesitate before saying, “Your house.”

 

He chuckled. “Eager, are we?”

 

Kageyama couldn’t come up with a proper response, and instead settled on just harrumphing and turning his head away, all the while leaning even further into Iwaizumi’s arm. 

 

“I’m ready, let’s just go already,” Kageyama said, breaking his hand away from the other’s. 

 

They both stood up and threw their trash away. Once stepping outside, Iwaizumi reached his hand towards Kageyama’s to clasp it- and was instead met with air. Kageyama had moved his hand quickly away, although he looked pretty upset by it. 

 

“Sorry, I just…” Kageyama explained, voice weak. “I don’t think I’m ready for that, in front of people.”

 

Iwaizumi patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You don’t need to justify yourself to me- I understand.”

 

And he did. PDA was a big deal in Japan, especially since their relationship was so new, and they were gay- there were a lot of new developments today, no need to push something else new. 

 

Kageyama smiled gratefully. “Lead the way, Iwaizumi-san.”

 

\---

 

He was glad he had insisted that Kageyama take the first shower, because the boy had promptly laid down on his bed and was now snoring away. At least, he had fallen asleep with his phone clutched in his hand. Iwaizumi gently pried it from his fingers and opened the photo application. After snapping a quick photo (And forwarding it to himself,) Iwaizumi looked for Kageyama’s mom’s number. He composed a message:

 

This is Iwaizumi-san, I’m borrowing Kageyama’s phone, as he obviously cannot do so himself. Do you want me to wake him up and send him home, or may he spend the night? Thank you. 

 

After attaching the image, he sent it off. He also forwarded the image to Sugawara and Daichi (Thank goodness this kid had everyone entered under their real name) with the caption, “Satisfied, crow parents?” He couldn’t help but be snarky with them- it was the result of three years of versing each other in volleyball games. 

 

By the time he was done with that conversation, Kageyama’s mom had replied. 

 

“Thank you for letting me know- and don’t bother waking him up, he’d just fall asleep on the train again and totally miss the stop.”

 

Iwaizumi smiled- his mom was great. He replied with, “Understood.” and then powered off the phone. 

 

He looked at Kageyama’s sleeping figure. Should he try to get in with him…?

 

No. Kageyama would wake up, and totally freak out, and jump to all the wrong conclusions. 

 

Whatever. Iwaizumi was fine with the couch. At least his parents wouldn’t be home this weekend. 

**Author's Note:**

> I used some specific jargon in this piece, so if you need any definitions, please ask! as always, comments are encouraged, and I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
